Hartmut wrote:
> As for freezing fuel lines, I doubt that this could happen. > Unless you are having water in fuel, which is a no no, > regardless of outside temperatures. I operated in temps down to -15°F with comfort except for one time when there was ice in the fuel tanks which melted and refroze in the fuel line. The plane had been in and out of the shop quite a lot being prepared for sale. Perhaps it accumulated water before the shop work or perhaps being inside for work and outside for waiting cycled the air in the tanks and let water/ice accumulate inside the tanks. Either way, water (ice) accumulated in the tanks. As it was frozen, it didnt come out any drains. Id urge you to get the plane brought into a heated hangar and thoroughly warmed overnight. Then vacuum the tanks with a siphon hose to vacuum up anything in the low spots of the tanks. Do this before you depart to fly home. It should only need to be done once. Heres the story (note that this was in the days before cell phones): http://ercoupe.org/Fly-in%20Reports/Gas-line-ice.htm Overall, I liked winter flying. It is necessary to take (borrow if you have to) HEAVY coats and double layers of pants so you can stand to do a thorough cold weather preflight inspection. I found my Coupe was comfortably warm inside with just a light jacket all the way down to -15°F. Ed Burkhead http://edburkhead.com East Peoria, Illinois ed -at- edburkhead???.com (change -at- to @ and remove "???")
